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NCAA Tournament | Akron basketball crams for Arizona. What to know about their matchup
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- NCAA Tournament | Akron basketball crams for Arizona. What to know about their matchup
SEATTLE — The Akron Zips men's basketball program has been akin this week to a college student cramming for a test.
Akron learned on "Selection Sunday" it would be a No. 13 seed pitted against No. 4 Arizona in the first round of the NCAA Tournament .
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How unfamiliar are the Zips with the Wildcats? Well, the two teams will meet for the first time at 7:35 p.m. Friday in the East Region at Climate Pledge Arena.
Here's what Akron coach John Groce and the Zips said Thursday about the matchup they have been studying:
Akron men's basketball expects Arizona to play fast in first-round NCAA Tournament game
Last spring, Groce told Akron players he wanted them to shoot 30 3-pointers a game in the 2024-25 season. Looking back, redshirt junior guard Nate Johnson concedes he and some of his teammates were skeptical the Zips would make such a dramatic stylistic change.
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Akron did significantly shift immediately after the Enrique Freeman era , though. The Zips are averaging 29.8 attempted 3s — with 10.9 made 3s — this season. Increasing their pace is a major reason for the greater frequency.
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Groce explained Arizona is one of the teams he researched to help him implement changes because the Wildcats are known for an up-tempo brand.
"The most encouraging thing is you don't have to worry about them slowing down the pace," Groce told the Beacon Journal. "You know how we like to play fast. Obviously, they play really fast. Both of us are between 10 and 20 in the country in tempo. So I've been teasing the guys telling them to wear track shoes [Friday] instead of basketball shoes."
Akron Zips guard Isaiah Gray (13) walks out onto the court during pregame announcements before the Mid-American Conference Tournament championship game at Rocket Arena on Saturday, March 15, 2025, in Cleveland, Ohio.
A bevy of 3-pointers should be the name of the game for Zips vs. Wildcats in March Madness
Although Arizona plays fast, its approach to 3s is conservative compared with Akron. The Wildcats are averaging 21.1 attempted 3s this season, with 6.8 made.
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If Akron were to shoot well from deep, the math game within the hoops game would likely favor the Zips.
"We know the advantage of 3-ball," Akron senior guard Isaiah Gray said. "It's been beneficial to us all year. But we also kind of know that sometimes things don't work out the way you plan to, and we've got a good group of guys that are just hoopers and a good group of coaches that kind understand how things go throughout the game.
"Obviously, we're going to game plan and get a lot of 3s up and hope they go in. … But if not, we have a lot of different ways we're going to attack this game, and we feel confident."
Arizona Wildcats forward Henri Veesaar (13) grabs a rebound against Houston Cougars forward Ja'Vier Francis (5)and guard Terrance Arceneaux (23) during the first half for the Big 12 Conference Tournament Championship game at T-Mobile Center in Kansas City on March 15, 2025.
What concerns the Akron Zips most about the Arizona Wildcats in the East Region of the NCAA Tournament?
Arizona's size and rebounding have jumped off the game film when Groce has watched it.
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The Wildcats are averaging 39.6 rebounds, 6.9 more than their opponents. The Zips are averaging 38.8 rebounds, 4.3 more than their opposition.
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"They're among the league leaders in the Big 12 in rebound margin, which is saying something," Groce said. "[Forward Tobe] Awaka rebounds the heck out of the ball. [Guard KJ] Lewis does from the perimeter position. And then, obviously, they've got the 7-footer [Henri] Veesaar . He's great on the glass. [Forward Trey] Townsend's good on the glass. They hit the glass hard.
"They score easy baskets in transition, and then defensively they have a high steal rate. So if you let them turn you over and they get steals, they get out and run. Now that accelerates their transition game even more — gives it a boost. Now they're getting easy ones in transition, easy ones on the glass, and, to me, those are my biggest concerns."
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How the Akron Zips plan to deal with their size disadvantage in the NCAA Tournament vs. the Arizona Wildcats
Gray pointed out there are pros and cons to playing with four guards like Akron does. Better 3-point shooting is a benefit. On the other hand, giving up size to the opponent is a risk.
Akron uses two big men: 6-foot-8 senior starter James Okonkwo (7 points and 7.3 rebounds) and 6-7 junior backup Amani Lyles (7.7 points and 5.3 rebounds).
"They complement each other in a lot of ways, and they play a lot bigger than their size," Gray said. "So they've been able to hold it down against a lot of quality opponents, quality bigs, throughout the year. Obviously, Arizona has some size, and it's going to be a challenge, but we feel the same confidence [in Okonkwo and Lyles we have all season]."
Akron Zips forward James Okonkwo (32) celebrates after an and-one during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game against the Ball State Cardinals on Tuesday, Feb. 4, 2025, in Akron, Ohio.
Inside, Arizona has the 6-8 Awaka (8.2 points and 7.8 rebounds), the 7-foot Veesaar (9.5 points and five rebounds) and the 6-6 Townsend (8.3 points and 3.9 rebounds).
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"They just need to feel us on every possession," Okonkwo said. "We have experience playing bigger, heavyset guys. Obviously, I used to play in the Big 12 [at West Virginia ], so I'm used to the physicality. I think it just comes down to who wants it more, and we're just going to find out who wants it more."
Lyles said the Zips know they're smaller than the Wildcats, so Akron must be tougher.
"We know that they're physical, but I believe in me and James," Lyles said. "We're also physical. Their only advantage is through size advantage. So we know that if we hit them first, then we have a better advantage of getting the board."
Nate Ulrich can be reached at nulrich@thebeaconjournal.com. On Twitter: @ByNateUlrich .
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Akron studies for Arizona in March Madness. What to know about matchup
